PARENT ALERT: By Judith Newman

I stumbled across a great article in the May issue of Reader's Digest, but it doesn't look like they've made it available online. So, I'm going to post an excerpt here... if you happen to come across a RD though, take a look at the whole article, it's great. :)

 

      "Kids as young as 11 and 12 have been discovered taking compromising photos of themselves and sending those shimmering pixels over their phones and computers. More than a few incidents have made the nightly news. In February, for example, a 15-year-old girl from central Pennsylvania faced charges for possessing, distributing, and creating child pornography after she sent topless photos of herself to a man on MySpace; the man, 27, was also charged. Last year, an 18-year-old Orlando, Florida, teen began serving five years probation and had to register as a sex offender after forwarding naked photos of his then-16-year-old ex-girlfriend to her friends, teachers, and relatives. And six middle school boys in Massachusetts were questioned by police after they passed around a picture of a half naked 13-year-old classmate on their cells.

     Surely this is just one of those salacious, overblown "trend" stories, right? There can't be that many teenagers sending and receiving inappropriate photos of themselves.

      Think again.

      Last fall, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy teamed with CosmoGirl.com to canvass 1,280 teenagers and young adults about their electronic activities. According to their survey, one in five girls (11 percent between 13 and 16) and 18 percent of teens boys have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves. About 15 percent of senders forwarded photos to people they hadn't actually met but knew only online."

      Newman goes on to write "'teenagers are sexual beings and they want to push the envelope. There's not a whole lot of thought before hitting the send button" and "when the legislation for child pornography was enacted, no one was imagining minors taking pictures of their own bodies."

 

      When I read this article, I realized again how valid and necessary our work as Netsmartz trainers is. If you work in a school, have children, or just care about the future of our youth... you should take these issues seriously and consider contacting us for a training.

 

      Questions? Post them and we'll answer them here!

 

      Surf safe,
      Shanna